Going back in time here. This was one of those vacations where you need a vacation to relax again. Once we got started, it was one knock-out day after another. Imagine me nodding out after dinner? Every fucking day! Oh, Andrea, don’t worry about all your sensitive friends. I ain’t no fucking Robert DeNiro. Anyway, I fell asleep every night as I was trying to finish this first installment. We are on the way back now, in White Sulfur Springs, MT. Just witnessed a mind boggling sunset, but that will come later. So many pictures that I’ll do this in groupings. Forgive me if I don’t get them all out tonight. It was a stressful ride today.
Tuesday, 6-27:
After Glendo it was another 270 miles, entirely on interstate 25, to Peter D’s RV Park in Sheridan, WY. Peter is kind of a character. He suggested a stop at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. Not possible given our aggressive driving agenda tomorrow. But, Peter added, “You know, Custer was a bit of a fashion trendsetter. He was the first to wear Arrow shirts.” Pah-dum. Oy!
The drive was not as boring as, say, Nebraska or any state between the Appalachians and the Rockies but it was fairly devoid of decent scenery until we got about 30 miles from Sheridan. Then the Big Horn Mountains appear with their white caps. Sorry, no pics and nothing like landing in Denver and looking west.
Peter was nice enough to put us into the easiest pull-thru site. I think he liked me for trash talking to the guy ahead of us – the guy from New Joysey with the Yankee joysey on. (After noticing it was a Lou Gehrig shirt, I did mention that I liked his specific choice. Who doesn’t like #4?)
Luna loved the lush grass next to us, jumping around like a bunny. As the sun set, the little cow farm next to us gave me a kind of “Little House on the Prairie/Unforgiven” look, but with a contemporary touch, a cell tower:
Wednesday, June 28:
Long drive today from Sheridan, Wyoming to Great Falls, Montana, 360 miles to be exact (enough). I loaded up on caffeine today and got an ouchy stomach. That’s what grandson Leo calls something that hurts – an ouchy. And Andrea is constantly asking about odd sounds in the RV, mimicking the two-year-old’s signature question, “What’s that noise?” Give him a few years and he’ll be using my question when I hear something that just isn’t right in the RV, “What the fuck is that?”
Today, while trying to wash off massive bug splatters from the windshield – I mean, Wyoming bugs make hummingbirds look like mosquitoes – the right windshield wiper started flapping around. During one wild section of road, in a windmill farm with direct crosswords, every time a truck flew by at 70 going the other way, the combined blast of 140mph plus the compressed 35mph crosswind lifted the loose wiper up and over the good wiper. Thought I was gonna lose it. That, on top of spending $220 on a tank of diesel.
Oh, the Maelstrom Air Force base security forces were everywhere as we got closer to town, armored vehicles with 50 caliber machine guns:
WTF? Is ET here?
While trying to fix the wiper tonight, good neighbor Sven helped out and broke the offending loose piece. Thanks. I never throw out parts from furniture or any item that might have value down the road. I save screws, nuts, bolts, spacers, anything that looks like it might come in handy. My replacement hardware looks exactly the same as the original though it may only have one tenth the lifetime. It fucking works, for now.
Then, at 9:45PM, we picked up Jeanine and Jeff at the airport. We’ll be on our way tomorrow to Glacier. If I can get up. It’s two-thirty. This restless leg thing is as crazy as job anxiety. Used to be thinking about my job kept me up at night. Now the skin crawling off my body does it. Someone please fucking shoot me?!? Looking forward to Glacier.
Thursday, June 29:
This is our second time driving in Montana. The first was over 10 years ago leaving Yellowstone via the north entrance as the east entrance was closed due to fire.That was a pretty drive through some rugged mountains. The first 350 miles, yesterday and today, were as boring as most of Wyoming – rolling hills, ranches and loads of commercial farms. I mean, it’s not Kansas or Missouri but having lived in Colorado so long and driven all over the southwest, we are definitely jaded. However, the last 20 miles were beautiful. After leaving the little gas-stop town of Browning, the mountains of East Glacier grow as the road heads right to them. (Forgive the schmutz on the windshield)
Then that 70mph speed limit dropped to 25 in many places for the Odyssey as we wound our way up, down, and around the foothills approaching St. Mary. And then St. Mary Lake appeared:
That deserves a big, “far, fucking out!”
The KOA is quite nice, and expensive. But, the scenery is worth it. I have one shot from the Nikon that gives you an idea. Gotta transfer those to the computer, then my phone. Here we go:
There. Took me a week to find that shot.
Ok. Enough. Hit send. Now try to find seven or eight shots from Glacier! Hah! Out of a few hundred? Stay tuned for part 2.
Carlin RV Odyssey 